Shacknews Top 23 Games of the Year 2023

#8 Game of the Year 2023 - Marvel's Spider-Man 2

Insomniac Games was put in an unenviable position in 2023. It wasn't just that the studio was tasked with putting out a sequel to the highly-acclaimed Marvel's Spider-Man and its follow-up, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Insomniac's new title also had to carry the PS5 as the lone first-party PlayStation release of the year. Fortunately, the team proved to be more than up to this superheroic task.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 delivers the absolute best of both Peter Parker and Miles Morales, spotlighting what makes them great characters individually and also what makes them a great Spider-team. The game shows two sides of the coin, capably juxtaposing Peter's more traditional superhero antics with the new school of Miles and his supporting cast that all knows about his costumed alter ego. Regardless of which web-slinger the player is controlling, swinging through New York has never been better, made an even more thrilling experience through the addition of Web Wings and other new traversal mechanics.

This is a breathtaking game in many ways. It showcases the full power of the PlayStation 5, successfully pulling off technical achievements like fluid scene transitions, seamless fast travel, and dynamite visual effects. The latter is shown off in grandiose fashion with the opening Sandman fight. It also displays the very best of superhero writing, presenting a more vulnerable Peter Parker, an uncertain Miles Morales, and even weaving in some strong moments for characters like Mary Jane Watson.

While Marvel is spreading the love with its licenses across various game studios, few have done as much justice to their source material as Insomniac has with Marvel's Spider-Man 2. It stands tall as one of the greatest superhero titles ever made.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is available exclusively on PS5.

Shack Staff

Shack Staff stories are a collective effort with multiple staff members contributing. Many of our lists often involve entires from several editors, and our weekly Shack Chat is something we all contribute to as a group.